Sheetal Devi Gold was one of the biggest highlights of India’s successful campaign at the World Archery Para Series 2026 Stage 3 in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. India finished the competition with 15 medals, including four gold, three silver and eight bronze medals, at the Sabarmati Riverfront on 9 September 2026. The five-day event was held from 5 to 9 September and marked the first time India hosted a World Archery Para Series tournament.

The performance gave India’s para-archery team a strong finish on home soil. Among the Indian athletes, 19-year-old Sheetal Devi attracted particular attention after winning her first individual title on the World Archery Para Series circuit in the women’s compound category.

Sheetal Devi Wins Her First Individual Title

Sheetal Devi won the women’s individual compound gold medal after a closely fought final against Aizada Seidan of Kazakhstan. The final ended in a 144-144 tie, forcing the competitors into a shoot-off to decide the winner.

Sheetal held her nerve in the deciding stage and won the shoot-off 10-9. The victory marked an important individual achievement in her international para-archery career.

Her performance was also strong during the qualification round. She scored 698 points, improving her own Asian record. The result showed her consistency at the competition and added another significant milestone to her growing international record.

The Sheetal Devi Gold medal also became part of India’s four-gold-medal haul at the Ahmedabad event.

India Finishes with 15 Medals

India ended the World Archery Para Series Stage 3 with a total of 15 medals. The tally consisted of:

4 gold medals
3 silver medals
8 bronze medals

The result reflected strong performances across individual, mixed-team and team events. Indian athletes competed in both compound and recurve categories during the tournament.

The Ahmedabad competition provided Indian para-athletes with the opportunity to compete against leading international competitors while also competing in front of a home crowd.

Bhawna and Harvinder Singh Win Mixed Team Gold

India’s success was not limited to Sheetal Devi’s individual performance. Bhawna and Harvinder Singh won gold in the recurve mixed team event.

The Indian pair defeated China’s Liang Qiurong and Xia Lei by a score of 6-0 in the final. Their comfortable victory added another gold medal to India’s overall tally.

The mixed team event requires athletes to work closely together, with accuracy and consistency playing an important role. India’s performance in the recurve category helped strengthen its overall medal position at the competition.

Sheetal Devi Adds a Mixed Team Bronze

Sheetal Devi also competed in the compound mixed team event alongside Toman Kumar. The Indian pair won a bronze medal after defeating Iraq’s Sara Al-Hamid and Abbas Kadhim by 157-145.

This meant Sheetal finished the competition with success in both individual and mixed-team competition.

Her qualification-stage performance also produced another notable achievement. Sheetal Devi and Rakesh Kumar recorded a mixed-team world record of 1,400 points during qualification.

The combination of an individual gold, a mixed-team bronze and a record-setting qualification performance made Sheetal one of the leading Indian performers at the Ahmedabad event.

Toman Kumar and Bhawna Also Win Medals

Indian athletes delivered strong performances in other individual events as well.

Toman Kumar won bronze in the men’s individual compound competition. He defeated Iraq’s Abbas Kadhim by 143-138 in the bronze-medal contest.

Bhawna also added another medal to India’s tally by winning bronze in the women’s individual recurve event.

These performances helped India build a balanced medal tally across compound and recurve categories.

First World Archery Para Series Event in India

The 2026 Stage 3 competition was significant for Indian sport because it was the first World Archery Para Series tournament hosted by India.

The event was organised at the Sabarmati Riverfront in Ahmedabad from 5 to 9 September. Hosting an international para-sport event in India provided local athletes with an opportunity to compete at a major international competition without travelling overseas.

It also brought international para-archers to Gujarat and provided a platform for greater visibility for para-archery in the country.

Compound and Recurve Archery

The competition featured different categories of para-archery, including compound and recurve events.

In compound archery, the bow uses a system of cams and pulleys that helps athletes generate and manage the force of the bow. The discipline requires a high level of control and precision.

Recurve archery uses a bow with limbs that curve away from the archer at the tips. Recurve is also the type of bow used in Olympic archery.

Athletes in para-archery compete under classifications designed to provide fair competition based on their physical impairments and the effects those impairments have on sporting performance.

Importance of the Ahmedabad Competition

The World Archery Para Series is part of the international competition structure governed by World Archery, the global governing body for archery and para-archery.

For Indian athletes, the Ahmedabad event offered valuable international competition experience. It also allowed the country’s para-archery programme to demonstrate its depth across individual and team categories.

The success of athletes such as Sheetal Devi, Bhawna, Harvinder Singh, Toman Kumar and Rakesh Kumar highlighted the strength of India’s current para-archery squad.

Sheetal Devi Continues to Make Her Mark

At just 19 years of age, Sheetal Devi continues to attract attention in international para-archery. Her gold medal in Ahmedabad represents an important step in her individual career.

Her qualification score of 698 points, improvement of her Asian record and contribution to the mixed-team world record further strengthened her performance at the event.

The Sheetal Devi Gold also adds to India’s growing list of international para-sport achievements. Her success demonstrates the increasing competitiveness of Indian athletes in global para-archery events.

India’s Strong Finish in Ahmedabad

India’s 15-medal performance at the World Archery Para Series 2026 Stage 3 included victories and podium finishes across several categories. The four gold medals, three silver medals and eight bronze medals reflected the team’s broad performance rather than success in only one event.

With the competition held in Ahmedabad, Indian athletes also had the advantage of competing on home ground while showcasing para-archery to a wider Indian audience.

The combination of Sheetal Devi’s individual breakthrough, strong mixed-team performances and several individual medals made the Ahmedabad stage an important event for India’s para-archery campaign in 2026.